Ophir, CO

united states

Ophir is a tiny mountain town of 120 people at nearly 10,000 feet, reached by driving south from Telluride on Highway 145 then taking the challenging Ophir Pass Road. This unpaved route continues over an 11,789-foot pass to Silverton, popular with off-roaders but closed in winter. The historic railroad grade still loops around the valley walls where trains once hauled silver ore.